afternoon
noun
af·ter·noon
ˌaf-tər-ˈnün 
1
: the part of day between noon and sunset
2
: a relatively late period (as of time or life)
in the afternoon of the 19th century
afternoon
adjective
Examples of afternoon in a Sentence
morning, afternoon, evening, and night
I'll see you again tomorrow afternoon.
It was early afternoon when I left.
She spent the afternoon at the library.
I remember the many rainy afternoons I spent reading at the library.
She doesn't have class on Friday afternoons.
It took us all afternoon to get there.
It's going to be a long afternoon listening to lectures.
Recent Examples on the Web
Cleo Krejci On a Thursday afternoon in late March, a group of Milwaukee Area Technical College students reflected about a key time in life: when high school is nearly over, and questions about college are on the horizon.
—
Journal Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2024
That's the question facing the upper chamber Wednesday ahead of afternoon plans to swear in all 100 senators as jurors in the impeachment trial against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
—Deirdre Walsh, NPR, 17 Apr. 2024
Over 130 people have died in crashes on state roads, according to reports published by the Arkansas Department of Safety as of Wednesday afternoon.
—Remington Miller, arkansasonline.com, 17 Apr. 2024
In the afternoon, another zodiac takes you for an hour-long cruise around glaciers and alongside porpoising chinstrap penguins.
—Katie Lockhart, Robb Report, 16 Apr. 2024
Today, many companies hold hybrid meetings that last 30 minutes to an hour, are held on a weekday afternoon, and require that attendees sit through dry presentations, says Chia.
—Lila MacLellan, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2024
On a rainy Saturday afternoon in late March, a block of East Hollywood is unusually quiet but for the corner of Fountain Avenue and North Edgemont Street.
—Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024
The Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner’s Office verified the victims’ identities Tuesday afternoon.
—Michael Gordon, Charlotte Observer, 16 Apr. 2024
Other major retailers have also announced store closures in the region lately, including REI in Santa Monica, Macy’s in Simi Valley and several Rite Aid locations.
99 Cents Only did not immediately return a request for comment Thursday afternoon.
—Andrea Chang, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024
Journal Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2024
That's the question facing the upper chamber Wednesday ahead of afternoon plans to swear in all 100 senators as jurors in the impeachment trial against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
—Deirdre Walsh, NPR, 17 Apr. 2024
Over 130 people have died in crashes on state roads, according to reports published by the Arkansas Department of Safety as of Wednesday afternoon.
—Remington Miller, arkansasonline.com, 17 Apr. 2024
In the afternoon, another zodiac takes you for an hour-long cruise around glaciers and alongside porpoising chinstrap penguins.
—Katie Lockhart, Robb Report, 16 Apr. 2024
Today, many companies hold hybrid meetings that last 30 minutes to an hour, are held on a weekday afternoon, and require that attendees sit through dry presentations, says Chia.
—Lila MacLellan, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2024
On a rainy Saturday afternoon in late March, a block of East Hollywood is unusually quiet but for the corner of Fountain Avenue and North Edgemont Street.
—Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024
The Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner’s Office verified the victims’ identities Tuesday afternoon.
—Michael Gordon, Charlotte Observer, 16 Apr. 2024
Other major retailers have also announced store closures in the region lately, including REI in Santa Monica, Macy’s in Simi Valley and several Rite Aid locations.
99 Cents Only did not immediately return a request for comment Thursday afternoon.
—Andrea Chang, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'afternoon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of afternoon was
in the 13th century
Phrases Containing afternoon
Articles Related to afternoon
Dictionary Entries Near afternoon
Cite this Entry
“Afternoon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/afternoon. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
afternoon
noun
af·ter·noon
ˌaf-tər-ˈnün
: the part of day between noon and sunset
afternoon
adjective
More from Merriam-Webster on afternoon
Nglish: Translation of afternoon for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of afternoon for Arabic Speakers
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